Apparatus for processing metal workpieces



y 2, 1936. u *R. u. GEIB, JR 2,04 ,474

APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING METAL WORKPIECES Filed Oct. 9, 1933 z 4 bwenfor: EOBEET U 65/5, .fe

' fi/Qi zq/farneys.

Patented May 12, 1936 I I i Q t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING METAL WORKPIECES Robert U. Geib, Jr., Edgewood, Pa.

Application October 9, 1933, Serial No. 692,875

7 Claims. (Cl. 80-13) This invention relates to the manufacture of, same time the distortion of the work-piece should seamless pipes and tubes from solid rounds, or be limited as much as possible. "billets, and to any and all of the operations used If the metal of the work-piece, either in whole therein, such as piercing' expanding, elon- Or i part, is not in a desired state of plasticity, gating, reducing, or any combination thereof. occasioned by insufiicient heating, the peripheral 5 In the manufacture of seamless pipes and speed, or rate of rotation, of the guide rolls should tubes by the use of poweractuated metal-working be d re d. on the Other hand, if t e metal rolls considerable difliculty has been experienced is V ry hi hly heated, and therefore unusually in obtaining flawless products. The processing P c, adv should be taken of this con- 10 of the metal of the w0rk-piece by the metaldition and the peripheral flow thereof diverted 10 working rolls must be carefully controlled, otherlongitudinally at a more rapid rate, undue wise upsetting" will occur, or grooves and ridges, distortion Will Occur.

annular bulging, tearing, uneven wall thickness, one bj ct of the invention is the provision of etc., will appear in the product. In addition, a a novel apparatus or processing eta work-- 1 great many other limitations are encountered, Pieces in such er as t consistently Obtain such as the inability of the rolls to effect the deflawless p s and tu s f the s amless typ sired amount of processing without resorting to and by the use of which the metal of the worknumerous subsequent operations, difficulty in obpiece is P c s d in d r a o to its P y. taining maximum speed of production, and th Another object is to provide a novel means for t tendency of most meta1 working rolls t draw controlling the ovality, or distortion, inherent 20 metal into the inlet of the pass at a greater rate in Seamless P and tube methods, in Such manof speed than that at which it is expelled from as to Completely avoid the Possibility of flaws, th tl t, or defects, in the processed work-piece.

There have been some recent developments A further j ct s o P v a novel apparatus which overcome a great many of the m m of the class described in which the metal of the 25 referred to, and also greatly increase the speed Work-piece is diverted from a tangential path of of production of all types of mills. According to travel, p d by helically acting ta -W th new principles, guiding members are p081- rolls, intoa longitudinal direction, the diversion tioned intermediate the usual metal-working being exerted to a degree det ed by the plasrolls and consist of power-actuated grooved rolls tielty of the metal- 30 rotating on axes substantially at right angles to A Still further Object is to Provide a novel 1 the pass defined by the metahworking 1-0115, and paratus for automatically controlling the speed each having a peripheral velocity in the direcof diversion in accordance with the temperature tion of and greater than the longitudinal travel of Various areas in Single, successive, workof a workpiece progressing therethmugn pieces, separate means compensating for the 35 The effect of these rotating guide rolls is to veryihg degress of Plasticity eharacteristic of divert longitudinally the peripheral flow of the dlfierent metals at the tempehaturey metal of the work piece which is occasioned by These and further ob ects of the invention W111 the metal-working rolls. For this reason the be apparent after referring to the drawing' in 40 which: 40

guide rolls should cause a tension or at least materially reduce the compression of the metal in fi g 1 1s plan of the apparatus of the that portlon g wherem the greater part Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the apparaof the pricessmg Is d u H r l tus of Figure 1 as used in piercing operations.

The gmde rolls are p051 one Vet ca y e Referring more particularly to the drawing, 45

tive to one another in such manna: as to pemnt the numeral 2 designates a pair of conventional the werk'piece to assume an emptlcal shape cone-shaped metal-working rolls, commonly used W If they are ihslhhclently spaced, the in the manufacture of seamless pipes and tubes Work-Piece will on the mahdrel- The which, when taken together, provide convergent maximum distance at which the guid rolls may surfaces 2 and divergent surfaces 2 The metal- 5 be spaced from the mandrel is that at which the working rolls 2 are suitably power actuated, as metal of the work-piecewill permit repeated by means of the adjacent motors 3.

bending in its changes to and from cylindrical and A pair of grooved guide rolls 4 are mounted on elliptical formation. The pressure of the guide rotatable shafts 5, one of which is disposed aboverolls should be as small as possible, but at the and the other below the pass-line of the mill, 55

as defined by the metal-working rolls 2, and at substantial right angles thereto. In view of the fact that the metal of the work-piece is restrained from longitudinal movement while in contact with the most adjacent surfaces of the metal-working rolls 2 where the greatest reduction in wall thickness occurs, the'surfaces of the guide rolls 4 are so disposed as to permit their surfaces to contact with the work-piece substantially in the outlet of the mill, as defined by the divergent surfaces 2 of the metal-working rolls, for the reason that the metal of the work piece displaced by the guide rolls will be free at this point to move in a longitudinal direction.

A piercing plug 6 is mounted on a mandrel bar 6 and positioned with its point substantially at the gorge or most constricted portion of the pass, as defined by the metal-working rolls 2, which is where the convergent surfaces 2 adjoin the divergent surfaces 2'.

The shafts 5, on which the guide rolls 4 are mounted, are geared together in any suitable manner and are disposed in a common vertical plane. The upper shaft 5, or that which is positioned above the pass-line of the mill, is connected to a selective gear reduction transmission unit I, which is associated with a motor 8, a lever I being provided for enabling the changing of gears. It will be readily understood that the other of the shafts 5 may be connected to the selective gear reduction transmission unit I, in any suitable manner which, however, is not shown, it being purely nominal and a matter only of convenience.

A heat-responsive circuit making-and-breaking device, such as a conventional photoelectric control unit, generally indicated at 9, is trained on a work-piece A being processed by the mill at a point immediately before it is contacted by the convergent surfaces 2 of the work rolls, and provides means for registering .a relatively wide temperature range inherent in the work-piece at this point. The heat-responsive circuit making and breaking device 9 is operatively associated with a motor control device II] which is connected to the motor 8 for transposing the various temperature ranges inherent in the workpiece to accordingly vary the peripheral speed of the guide rolls 4, the function of selective gear reduction transmission unit I being to further and adjustably modify this speed control.

In operation, a work-piece A, in the present instance a solid rirnd or billet, which is to be pierced, is introduced into the converging surfaces 2 of the work rolls, where it is necked down to open its central fibers prior to its introduction to the piercing plug 6. This necking down operation directs the billet into a vertical deformation, or ovality", indicated at A in Figure 2, in addition to which a tendency toward elongation will be present.

From the gorge, or most constricted portion, where the actual piercing occurs, this tendency toward ovality is much greater as the workpiece progresses through the outlet of the mill and should be limited as much as possible in order to avoid defects in the processed workpiece. If the work-piece is very highly heated, and therefore unusually plastic, this ovality will be excessive, as indicated in broken lines at A in Figure 2, both before and after the metal is in the gorge if the peripheral speed of the guide rolls 4 is insufficient to tension the metal, or at least to materially reduce the compression thereof, while it is adjacent the gorge.

In' accordance with the teaching of the present invention, the peripheral speed of the guide rolls 4 will be automatically increased immediately a high heat area inherent in the work-piece A progresses into the range of the heat-responsive control unit 9, which is disposed slightly in advance of the metal-working rolls 2, thereby actuating the motor control device In and accordingly the motor 8. The gear changing lever I having previously been adjusted to modify the rotational effect of the motor 8 in order to compensate for the characteristics of the metal being processed as related to its temperature, the peripheral speed of the guide rolls 4 will be increased in exact ratio to the plasticity of the metal and act to tension the same and divert its peripheral path of travel, imposed by the metal-working rolls 2, in a longitudinal direc tion, as shown in full line at A in Figure 2'. If desired, the heat responsive circuit making and breaking device, or photoelectric control unit 9; may be disconnected, and the motor control device IO actuated manually by an operator who is in a position to closely observe the condition of the work-piece.

The relativity of the excessive vertical ovality or, bulging", indicated in broken lines at A to the gorge of the metal-working rolls 2 is illustrated by the line 2*, while the line 4 indicates the beginning of the area of guide roll contact. In this area the metal of the work-piece will closely follow the contour of the guide rolls as indicated at A until the end of the zone where the work-piece is internally supported by the piercing plug 6 is reached. This point is indicated by the line G and it is here, or closely adjacent,

that the area of guide roll contact terminates.

After the termination of guide roll contact, the

metal of the work-piece will be no longer restrained in a vertical direction, and due to the contour of the divergent surfaces 2 of the work rolls it will gradually taper from the vertical ovality, as shown at A While in this area of work roll contact the work-piece will be rounded-up.

The last point of work roll contact is illustrated by the line 2 and from here the workpiece progresses from the mill in the form of a perfect round, as indicated at A In an application filed October 9, 1933, entitled Apparatus for processing tubular workpieces, and bearing Serial No. 692,876, I have described a method of varying the longitudinal flow by shifting the guide rolls along the workpiece to points determined by the plasticity of the metal; effecting such shift either automatically under control of the temperature, or manually in accordance with the workers observation of the plasticity or his knowledge of the composition of the metal and consequently its plasticity, or in both of these ways.

In an application, filed October 9, 1933, entitled Apparatus for processing metal workpieces, and bearing Serial No. 692,877, I have described a method and apparatus for achieving the same result by automatically varying the pressure of the guide rolls on the work-piece, this also being accomplished by manual control, as far as is necessary. I

The present invention is directed broadly to theinclusion of any, or all, of the devices and methods described in said copending applications and in the present case, and. to any other methods equivalent ways.

It is to be understood that my invention is intended to cover any satisfactory secondary modifier for the final eflect of motor 8 on the peripheral speed of guide rolls 4 in lieu of the selective gear reduction transmission unit 1;that any suitable heat-responsive circuit maker and breaker may be substituted for the suggested photoelectric control unit 9; and that while I have shown and described one specific embodiment of other details I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for processing tubular workpieces comprising, in combination, a pair of power-actuated metal-working rolls, means for continuously diverting the tangential fiow oi the metal of the work-piece into a longitudinal direction, means for regulating the speed of said diversion at a rate varying in accordance with the temperature of the work-piece, and secondary regulating means for further modifying said speed of diversion in accordance with the resistance to displacement of the metal of the work-piece.

2. Apparatus for processing tubular workpieces comprising, in combinatioma pair of power actuated metal-working rolls, at least one guide roll having its axis substantially at right angles with respect to the pass line defined by said work I and guide rolls, means for rotating said guide roll with its periphery in contact with the work-piece,

' metal of the work-piece.

3. Apparatus for processing tubular metal work-pieces comprising means for helically working the metal of said work-piece, in combination with means for diverting said helically worked metal in a longitudinal direction, means for determining the temperature of said work-piece and automatically regulating the diverting means in accordance therewith, and means for modifying the effect of said last named means in accordance with the resistance of the metal of the work-piece to displacement.

4. Apparatus for processing tubular metal work-pieces comprising, in combination, a plurality of power-actuated metal-working rolls, at least one guide roll having its. axis substantially at right angles with respect to the pass line defined by said metal-working and guide rolls, means for actuated metal-working rolls, means for continuously diverting the tangential flow of the metal of the work-piece into a longitudinal direction, means for regulating the speed of said diversinnin such manner as to minimize the distortion of the work-piece, and secondary means for modifying the eflect of said regulating means.

6. Apparatus for manufacturing pipes and tubes comprising a plurality of power-actuated metalworking rolls, said metal-working rolls being constructed and arranged to move the work-piece longitudinally and work the material of which it is composed; whereby portions of the work-piece are caused to bulge intermediate the metal-working rolls, at least one power-actuated guide roll disposed intermediate said metal-working rolls for limiting the bulging of the material of the workpiece and moving it longitudinally of its axis, in combination with means for registering the temperature of the work-piece, and means operated by said temperature-registering means for governing the speed of rotation'of said power-actuated guide roll.

7. Apparatus for manufacturing pipes and tubes comprising a. plurality of power-actuated metal-working rolls, said metal-working rolls being constructed and arranged to move the workpiece longitudinally and work the material of which it is composed, whereby portions of the work;piece are caused to bulge intermediate the metal-working rolls, at least one power-actuated uide roll disposed intermediate said metal-working rolls for limiting the bulging of the material of the work-piece and moving it longitudinally of its axis, in combination with means for registering the temperature of the work-piece, means operated by said temperature-registering means for governing the speed of rotation of said poweractuated guide roll, and separate means for modifying the operation of said last named means.

ROBERT UVGELB, JR, 

